Arts and Society

A 25-minute intensive lesson for film and photo students covering copyright law, music licensing for festivals, public domain via Steamboat Willie, and personal portfolio protection.

A project-based lesson where students create a 30-second kindness PSA, focusing on the technical mastery of camera angles, the rule of thirds, and professional delivery standards.

An exploration of Augusto Boal's Theatre of the Oppressed, covering its historical roots in Brazil, key techniques like Forum and Image Theatre, and its ongoing role in global social justice movements.

Mastering Forum Theatre, the role of the Joker, and applying these techniques to solve real-world social problems.

Deep dive into Image Theatre techniques, using the body as a language to explore internal and external oppressions.

An introduction to Augusto Boal, the origins of Theatre of the Oppressed, and the transformative concept of the 'spect-actor'.

A high school art and social studies lesson where students design public art proposals that reflect community stories and social justice themes. Students analyze existing murals in DC and elsewhere to understand the impact of visual storytelling in public spaces.

An introductory lesson on music copyright laws, fair use, and legal practices for using and creating music, aligned with NC Arts SCOS.

A comprehensive lesson for senior art students on the business and promotion of their work, featuring case studies like Meow Wolf and Exodus Ensemble. Students will learn about personal branding, pricing, and the 'Art of Asking' to build sustainable creative careers.

A student-led inquiry project exploring the intersection of music and neuroscience. Students choose their own research path to discover how musical training transforms cognitive development and present their unique findings.

This lesson introduces 12th-grade art students to the world of creative entrepreneurship, focusing on value propositions, marketing, and business planning for a sustainable artistic career. Students will analyze real-world case studies and begin drafting their own creative business blueprint.

A high school art lesson focused on social justice and civil rights through the medium of linocut printmaking. Students explore composition, lettering, and craftsmanship to create impactful visual messages.

A comprehensive exploration of John Coltrane's 'My Favorite Things' for IB Music, focusing on modal jazz, structural innovation, and the 'Exploring Music in Context' Area of Inquiry.

Concevoir des dispositifs de médiation et des espaces d'accueil qui favorisent l'autonomie, le plaisir de lire et le développement de l'esprit critique.

Explorer la psychologie de l'adolescent lecteur et l'évolution de l'édition jeunesse pour mieux accompagner les parcours de lecture personnels et scolaires.

A comprehensive look at the 1937 Degenerate Art exhibition in Nazi Germany, exploring how art was used as a tool for propaganda and the suppression of modern expression.

A lesson exploring the power of satire and political comedy through the lens of Ancient Greek playwright Aristophanes, featuring modern connections and a creative script-writing activity.

This lesson explores the visual and cultural impact of the Black Power movement, focusing on the three pillars of liberation and the aesthetic of the Black Arts Movement. Students will analyze historical visuals and create their own revolutionary posters that promote community dignity and self-determination.

A Media Arts lesson for high schoolers analyzing the technical and aesthetic evolution of digital media through the lens of Crash Course's production history. Students explore how funding, equipment, and collaboration transform low-budget web content into professional educational media.

A real-time simulation where students manage cascading technical and personnel crises to test their leadership under pressure.

Students decorate gift bags for their creations and, if time permits, bead a personalized necklace or bracelet to complete the gift set.

Students add personality and color to their dried clay creations using acrylic paints or watercolors, focusing on patterns and vibrant designs.

Students use their fine motor skills to sculpt a special clay creation, such as a pinch pot or a pendant, as a lasting gift for their mothers.

Students reflect on their mothers' unique qualities while completing and decorating an 'All About Mom' worksheet with creative details and vibrant colors.

A deep dive into the 1963 film Charade, exploring its unique blend of romantic comedy and suspense, the fluidity of identity, and the use of visual metaphors. Students analyze genre conventions, irony, and symbolism through a cinematic lens.

A comprehensive culminating research project where students explore a specific theatre style or 'ism'. Students produce a research-heavy Dramaturgy Portfolio, a Creative Design Pitch Deck, and a final Presentation with a visual aid.

A visual-guessing game lesson where students identify famous artworks based on close-up details of hands. This lesson focuses on observation skills and art history recognition.

A middle school art lesson exploring the intersection of typography, street art, and personal identity. Students learn the history of urban lettering and create stylized name art that communicates their unique personality.

A comprehensive exploration of the 1960s thriller 'Charade', focusing on the intersection of genre conventions, character deception, and cinematic visual motifs. Students will analyze how the film balances suspense and romance through its visual language and shifting character identities.

A project-based lesson where students create a 30-second kindness PSA, focusing on the technical mastery of camera angles, the rule of thirds, and professional delivery standards.

An exploration of Augusto Boal's Theatre of the Oppressed, covering its historical roots in Brazil, key techniques like Forum and Image Theatre, and its ongoing role in global social justice movements.

Mastering Forum Theatre, the role of the Joker, and applying these techniques to solve real-world social problems.

Deep dive into Image Theatre techniques, using the body as a language to explore internal and external oppressions.

An introduction to Augusto Boal, the origins of Theatre of the Oppressed, and the transformative concept of the 'spect-actor'.

The culminating phase where students stage a scene and compile their final production portfolio.

Students transition from analysis to design, creating set blueprints and costume concepts.

Focuses on the playwright's context and the deeper thematic structures of the chosen contemporary drama.

Students select a contemporary play and begin their analytical journey through character and theme exploration.

A comprehensive introduction to film analysis, covering cinematic techniques, genre studies, and historical evolution to help students decode the language of cinema.

Students explore the power of hands as tools for emotional storytelling in art history, then create their own expressive 3D plaster hands that communicate a specific narrative or emotion through form and surface drawing.

Students apply what they've learned by creating a classroom percussion circle where individuals take turns 'soloing' over a steady beat, applying the concept of improvisation.

Students work in small groups to 'curate' a stage for a world music festival. They select a region, choose instruments to feature, and explain why that music is unique.

Students listen to the drumming and singing styles of Native American tribes. They discuss the importance of the drum as the 'heartbeat' and the preservation of culture through powwow music.

Students look at larger jazz ensembles, identifying the sections (saxophones, trumpets, trombones, rhythm). They learn how many musicians play together while still allowing for solos.

Students debate the future of music history, looking at streaming, AI composition, and bedroom production, analyzing how digital tools change the creation and distribution of music.

Students investigate the wind and percussion instruments of South America, such as panpipes and maracas, and explore the connection between music and dance in Latin American cultures.

Students explore vocal improvisation through scat singing—using the voice as an instrument with nonsense syllables. They practice call-and-response scat patterns.

Synthesize knowledge by categorizing mystery musical excerpts into the correct historical era. Students will use specific vocabulary to justify their choices in a 'Time Machine' game.

Students investigate the origins of Hip-Hop and the revolutionary technique of sampling, discussing the artistic and legal implications of repurposing existing audio to create new music.

Examine how 20th-century composers like Debussy used 'colors' and dissonance to break traditional rules. Students will experiment with whole-tone scales and auditory analysis.

Students explore the introduction of synthesizers and drum machines in the 70s and 80s, learning about waveforms and how electricity can be used to design completely new sounds.

This lesson introduces the Pentatonic scale (5-note scale) common in traditional Chinese and Japanese music. Students listen to string instruments like the Koto or Erhu and compare them to the violin.

A focus on Louis Armstrong as a vocalist and trumpeter. Students learn about the role of the soloist in jazz and how personality shines through instrumental music.

A culminating lesson where students compare musical celebrations from the cultures studied, synthesizing their understanding of music's role in global traditions.

Introduction to the Sitar and the concept of a 'drone' note in Indian classical music, focusing on listening endurance and harmonic texture.

Students investigate the pan flutes of the Andes Mountains, discussing how natural materials shape sound and constructing straw flutes to learn about pitch.

Learners discover the Erhu and Pipa and explore the five-note pentatonic scale common in traditional Chinese music through listening and xylophone exploration.

Students explore the djembe and talking drums of West Africa, learning how drums can mimic human speech and layering simple rhythms to create polyphonic textures.

Bring all skills together in a classroom 'Swing Band' performance that highlights group collaboration and individual creativity.

Learn the art of vocal improvisation using scat syllables, inspired by jazz legends like Ella Fitzgerald and Louis Armstrong.